Volition
by KatePedoBear
Summary: Artemis only cared about fulfilling her own ambitions of revenge, but when she meets the earnest Gon, something inside her changes. She doesn't know what she truly wants anymore, but the mysterious group she belongs to doesn't appreciate doubt. Her relationship with Illumi was risky enough, but now Hisoka joins her list of risky acquaintances. Will this be her death? (Hisoka x OC?)
1. Prologue

A/N: Hello darlings! This is my first attempt at a Hunter x Hunter fic, so I'm a bit nervous to how well I can put everything together. This is an intro chapter, so normal chapters will be twice as long (just a heads up). I don't have an editor (I've asked around but nobody seems to get back to me OTL). Any criticism is HIGHLY appreciated. Don't be afraid to tell me where I can edit things! I don't bite, lol.

"Can you try to tell me what happened?"

The words cut through the silence like a knife, though there was no response to be had. An elderly woman sighed, tucking a gray hair behind her ear. Sipping from her coffee, she let the steam tickle her face; taking in the rich scent of its untouched purity. She let her short legs hang of the chair and kept them still, unlike her company.

The black contents of her cup were the only source of heat within that small kitchen. It was not the slightly ajar windows, blowing pale yellow curtains gently about giving the room its icy chill. It was the mood brought upon by the other person in the room, sitting across the table with their own, untouched mug.

She looked young; green hair spilling messily down to her shoulders. Her piercing violet eyes did not look up to meet the woman speaking to her; they merely stared into the swirling of white within her cup.

"I don't really like milk."

She responded with a blunt tone, no emotion to be heard in her tiny voice. Her legs swung like a metronome, not losing a single beat.

The older woman simply sighed, resting her cup back on the wooden surface of the table and putting a hand to her head. It had been two weeks since the incident at the child's home, and she was not the only one suffering. Her daughter, the young girl's mother, was dead and she would have to bury her own child.

She didn't want to seem unsympathetic, but how could such a small child even begin to comprehend laying your own child to rest? She was becoming frustrated, wanting to at least know how her daughter met her end. The only thing she knew was that her little girl was murdered.

The night that her granddaughter came to her, tiny droplets of crimson had covered her small face and hands. She was shaking relentlessly and she was just about as silent as she was sitting here with her. She remembered the helpless child gasping between sobs, spilling out the only clues to what monstrosity took place in that old manor of hers.

"H-he," the frightened little girl's hand grasped tightly at the old woman's collar that night, afraid to let go, "took all of them away."

Those words were repeated, muttered in soft whispers all throughout that night. By the time anyone of authority was able to come out and investigate, the perpetrator had vanished into the thick forest that had surrounded the property. He took advantage of the thick pine that lay around, using their scent to make it harder for hounds to find him. The brook that gently ran through the thick green was all the perpetrator needed to disappear completely into the thick fog, laying in wait throughout the night.

His identity, though the grandmother was not completely positive, was her son-in-law. He was the only one missing after the dark events that unfolded and the evidence was not in his favor; yet the only one that could testify sat at the end of that table, wrapped in a tight blanket of silence.

"Fine," the old woman sighed, carefully lowering herself onto the glossy surface of the kitchen floor. When she was younger, she remembered loathing that checkered pattern that lay underneath her feet, but looking at it now, she wouldn't replace it for the world. It's where her daughter would play with her food when they had no furniture to eat on, always getting little bits of food in her silky red hair. Oh, was she beautiful.

Her granddaughter resembled her a lot in that they had the same heart-shaped face. Still, nothing could compare to the light sprinkling of freckles and rosy cheeks adorned on her daughter's face. She hated to admit it, but there was no way her granddaughter could compare to her beauty; though that might have been her downfall. If she hadn't been so beautiful… if she hadn't been so kind maybe… Inoue would...

Her thoughts began to stir, and though she wasn't one to show emotion, she could feel her heart slowly sink into a dark hole, squeezing into the pit of her stomach and pounding in her throat. Her eyes felt warm and moist, her late daughter's laughter still echoing in the house's thin walls and creaky stairs. Oh how she loved this shabby home. How she adorned the walls with crayon, leaving her pictures in the most obscure places.

"Father killed them."

The old woman stopped her sobbing. She didn't even realize she was crying until now. Her eyes widened with surprise, shining streams subtly running down her wrinkled cheeks.

"What did you say?"

The words croaked out in between the silent gasps that escaped her mouth.

"I'll make him pay, grandma Chiyo…"

Now her granddaughter was struggling to let the words escape, though she did not cry. Her eyes did not leave the small mug in front of her, the heat long faded from neglect.

"Artemis…"

She couldn't believe what was coming from the child's mouth. She was still barley nine years of age and already saying such things…

"I'll definitely destroy him."

Artemis leapt from her chair, letting her bare feet meet with the cold ground. Her grandmother opened her mouth to protest, but something inside her held her back. Wiping the tears from her face, she came to a resolution.

"The lord looks down upon revenge," she began, "and so do I."

Artemis, with her back turned, remained silent.

"But if you want to take on Orcus," even saying her son-in-law's name stung her core, "you'll need to be stronger."

Turning to face Chiyo, Artemis caught her by surprise. Never once did the old woman expect such resolve from the meek little girl sitting at her kitchen table. Her eyes almost seemed to hold a fire, engulfing everything they set their sights on.

"I'll hunt him down myself if I must."

And with that, Artemis slipped out of the room. Now it was just Chiyo and the untouched milk that still lay on the table beside her. Now she knew.


	2. Adulthood Brings Adult Problems

A/N: No BETA again, but hopefully I will find someone to help me edit soon! I wanted to get this chapter out fast though because school starts soon. I won't be able to update as much so I wanted to at least get plot moving a bit! Please leave reviews if possible! They are highly appreciated and help me improve! Don't be afraid to be critical! I can take it! Anyway, please enjoy!

Adulthood Brings Adult problems

**12 years later**

The faint light of the bar lights cascaded shadows underneath the crowded tables and bar stools. The rich, dark wood of the furniture only added to the darkness of the room, night taking away the light from the dusted windows in the front. A smoky haze engulfed the entire room, leaving a thick musty smell accompanied by the aromas of alcohol and cheap cologne.

Illumi Zoldyck didn't like meet ups in places like these. The atmosphere clouded the senses with the dense pollution of cigarette exhaust and the thin smog that came with it. As an assassin, such distractions could be rubbed off easily, but still remained a nuisance.

It would have been a tough environment for his partner too, given her uncontrollable addiction to the liquid sloshing around in the rows of colorful bottles on the bar shelves. He couldn't blame her for picking this spot however; this would be the last spot the Knights of Eden would look for them, given that they were aware of her situation.

It wasn't hard to spot her, navy jacket with bright flames adorned on the sleeves, green hair tightly pulled back into a short pony tail. Most of all it was the tattoos under her eyes that gave her away. A solid black lines that ended around mid-cheek, and what seemed to be a half-diamond shape at the very tip of said lines.

As he came closer he could see her tightly squeezing her hands together, thumbs fumbling around each other in an impatient manor. She made sure to sit on a table that was far away from the bar, where the darkness draped itself over her like a cape.

When he finally approached her, she swept the long bangs from the left side of her face. She looked up at him, violet eyes boring into his empty black ones. It was clear that she was frustrated with his tardiness, making her wait in an establishment based around her worst temptations.

"You're lucky," she hissed, "I managed to keep myself from ordering a drink."

Illumi didn't say anything, quietly seating himself across from the woman; making sure not to sit on his long, raven hair. His wide eyes were unchanging; lacking emotion despite the woman's harsh tone.

"Artemis," he sighed, resting his elbow onto the table, "you're twenty-one now."

She raised an eyebrow, halting the fiddling of her thumbs.

"What are you getting at?"

Illumi just shook his head, placing his chin on his hand.

"After all these years," he continued, "don't you think you could have overcome this silly addiction?"

Her stare became sharp, more concentrated. Illumi raised a hand in defense, looking in the other direction nonchalantly.

"It's not that simple," she growled, "you have no idea!"

"You must have called me here for a reason other than how hard it is to cope."

Illumi was used to Artemis losing her temper when they met. Sometimes she just really hated the truth; which was ironic considering that's what she came here for.

"Did you find anything out about Orcus recently?"

Being faced with her original intentions, Artemis was quick to regain her composure and focus at the task at hand. Illumi became a little less tense, relaxing the grip on the pin he had clutched in his hand under the table.

"I have." He pointed out, tone suggesting that it should have been obvious.

Ignoring his attitude, Artemis leaned in a bit closer. This is what she had been waiting for all these hours. It drove her mad to not be informed, especially on her estranged father.

"And?" She questioned, leaning her head in even further.

"He's gotten stronger." Illumi stated bluntly, looking at the back of his free hand.

Artemis slowly sat up straight, placing her hands behind her head and running a tongue over her teeth; heart sinking into a deep pit. At this rate, she wouldn't be strong enough to face him, even with her unnatural nen production.

"How bad is it?" She exhaled, trying to calm the grinding feeling in her stomach.

"Well it's said that he's a specialist now." Illumi looked up from the back of his hand, curious as to how his partner would react.

Artemis didn't say anything; she just sat in the silence, noise of the bustling bar just a muffled hum in her ears. 'Specialist'? How could she ever compete with that let alone kill someone with such power. The stress and shock was clear on her face, her eyes wide and shaken.

"What about you?" Illumi broke the silence, closing his eyes and sighing again.

He hated dealing with people who would get emotional on him. They honestly just complicated business even further. The only reason he could even deal with Artemis sometimes is that she would occasionally be mature, and that she was the only member on the inside of the Knights of Eden willing to trade information.

"Here," Artemis fumbled around in her baggy, cargo pants pocket, "this is where each division will be scouting this month."

Artemis pulled a neatly folded paper from her pocket and lazily tossed it to Illumi. Her head remained down, cheek rested in her hand. She followed the dark circles etched into the bar table with her eyes, the surface adorned with scratches and markings made by previous customers. She didn't want Illumi to see the despair in her eyes, but he noticed it simply by her body language. A futile effort, but it's not like her feelings were of interest.

The piece of paper landed just in front of his body, nicking a leftover wet spot from the last occupants of the table. Rubbing the corned with his thumb, eyebrows furrowed, Illumi tried to dry the darkened corner of the paper before the moisture spread. Eventually giving a shrug, he placed the paper in his pocket; regardless of his distaste in its lack of cleanliness.

"Are the Knights still bitter towards us?"

Illumi returned his attention to the young woman before him, not seeming too concerned. He already knew what her answer would be. The Knights of Eden did not forgive, nor forget the actions of wrongdoers, and his family happened to be on their 'hate' list. Still, their leader agreed on neutrality with the Zoldycks, simply not wanting to lose any men. The opinions of those who did not pose a threat, did not concern Illumi.

"Of course they do."

Artemis's voice was a bit quieter; not quite over the news of her father's advancements. Illumi simply nodded, making a 'hmm' sound out of understanding. It was just as he expected.

Just before Illumi thought there was nothing more to discuss, Artemis flared her nen agressivly; the small membrane of bright purple silhouetting around her with a malicious ferocity. Illumi was accustomed to seeing this defensiveness, so he was unfazed; only blinking in surprise.

"Oh," he began, pointing behind him, "him?"

Artemis's burning gaze bore into a figure standing just behind the wooden support beam of the bar. She was ashamed to have not noticed him before; seemingly propped there for a while. She blamed it on the smog and intoxicating scent of the booze, but still worried her senses were out of practice.

The figure flicked a card in his index and middle finger, chuckling upon his discovery. As he moved from the dim light of the support beam, his features became clearer. Colorful attire, consisting of baggy pants and a half shirt with card suits printed on the front. Artemis almost felt exposed under his gaze. She hated that feeling.

"This is Hisoka," Illumi continued, now looking at his acquaintance, "I let him tag along, so it's ok."

Artemis reluctantly let her nen settle to a simmer, but still remained cautious of the stranger. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to seem relaxed and playing with the small braid under her bangs. She didn't bother introducing herself.

She wasn't exactly afraid, but it would be a lie to say she wasn't intimidated by the stranger's aura. A smile broke out across his face, forming a wide, eerie grin. It took all of Artemis's pride and self-control not to flinch. He ran a hand through his gelled, bright red hair as he moved closer to the pair. His menacing yellow eyes seemed to bore themselves into Artemis, not looking away for a moment.

"Seems like you found me."


End file.
